As we head into the last week of Advent, we still await the promise not just of the Christ Child but of the vaccines that are to be given to health care staff and nursing home residents. Chaos and confusion seem to have overtaken the nationwide distribution program as reports circulate that millions of doses sit in warehouses while the federal government is slashing the number of vials being shipped.
The pleasant surprise that each vial contains more doses than initially expected has been dampened by the fact that there are an insufficient number of syringes in the shipments to actually administer the vaccine. So for now we still limit to limit our Christmas travel and contacts and wear masks and carry individual hand sanitizer containers with us wherever we go.
This weekend is the last one before Christmas so in shopping, consider the ethical questions of buying anything made in China, a country that imprisons voices of freedom from Hong Kong to Xinjian and Tibet.
Prayer for the Day
Save us, O God, from our love of things, transient and temporary
And bring us back to the true meaning of this Season;
Teach us, O Holy Spirit, how we can love each other
And show our care beyond the tinsel and glitter we see.
Help us to encounter and fill our hearts with the beauty
That can be found in the world around us.
In the name of him who came to show the way,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
…The world offers itself to your imagination,
Calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—
- Mary Oliver, American poet, from “Wild Geese” (1935-2019)
Logic will get you from A to Z. Imagination will get you everywhere.
- Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist (1879-1955)
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
Steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
Happy are the people who know the festal shout,
Who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance.
They exult in your name all day long and extol your righteousness.
Psalm 89: 14-16